About this book
Frank Norris captures the raw power and complexity of American ambition in "A Deal in Wheat and Other Stories of the New and Old West," a masterwork of Western literature that transcends the genre's typical boundaries. Published in 1903, this collection features eleven interconnected tales that explore the collision between individual dreams and economic forces reshaping the nation.
The title story follows Sam Lewiston, a Kansas wheat farmer caught between financial ruin and stubborn determination, as he navigates the brutal realities of agricultural markets and speculation. Through interconnected narratives, Norris reveals how a single grain transaction ripples across the lives of farmers, brokers, and traders, exposing the invisible threads connecting the frontier to Chicago's financial markets. Other tales venture into the untamed West itself—from frontier outlaws and ghost ships to tales of mysterious encounters and human transformation—each exploring themes of survival, morality, and the clash between civilization and wilderness.
Norris's prose combines literary sophistication with vivid storytelling, enhanced in this edition by legendary illustrations from Frederic Remington and other celebrated artists of the era. These stories capture a pivotal moment in American history when the Old West was fading into the New, and economic forces were reshaping rural life.
Perfect for listeners who appreciate literary fiction with historical depth, this audiobook offers rich character studies and thought-provoking narratives about ambition, fate, and the human cost of progress.
